The top 5 ways nurses avoid catching the flu

Achoo! Flu season is almost upon us…and we don’t want to get sick! So we asked our Facebook fans for the craziest things they do to avoid catching the flu. Check out our top five picks guaranteed by your fellow nurses to help ward off the virus, and put ’em to good use this fall (hazmat suit not required!).

1. Be a germ-a-phobe.
Polish grandma wisdom: Don’t sit your bare butt on concrete—always use a chair cushion or you’ll get the flu. As for me, I put the private phone in the back on speaker for all calls. Germs! I spy Dr. X grab an isolation chart and take it in the room, then grab the phone to dictate and grab his car keys out of his pocket. CaviCide!!! Doctor!!!…STAT!!!—Amie Habdas

2. Soap up!
I just spent probably close to $75 on antibacterial soap, hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes spray and single-use bathroom towels. We will not get sick in my house! As for work, wash wash wash, and wear a mask and our paper trauma gowns.—Tami Uselton Hamill

3. Wear a mask.
During flu season, I have to admit I am a fanatic about wearing a mask. I am so used to wearing it that I often leave work only to find myself at the gas pump wearing my mask. I also find myself sterilizing everything in the office, right down to the books and magazines people read. 😉—Hannah Boyd

4. Wash it away.
As soon as I get home, I throw my clothes in the washer, shower, squirt nasal spray up my nose and blow it out, then take vitamin C!—Ginny Riddle

5. Suit up…sort of!
Wear a hazmat suit everywhere you go and sleep with an N95 on! Heh, not me, but that would be crazy! I just practice good hand washing (not much different than any other time for me, LOL), and stay attentive to who sounds sick and keep a distance! I also try to make sure my body’s defenses are at their best.—Mandy Jacobs